Press Conference for Scott Leykam LiveStreamed - 2PM Tuesday

UP is hosting a press conference to introduce new Athletic Director Scott Leykam today (Tuesday) at 2PM. It will be in the Hall of Fame Room for those interseted in coming, but it will also be live streamed here:

http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/up.portal#

You should definitely tune in if you can't make it onto campus!

You had to love that virtually the entire UP development office was on hand today, and that AD (Select) Scott Leykum mentioned that "resource allocation" would be one of his biggest tasks.

Glad to that he mentioned Men's Basketball specifically as a program that needs to be brought to prominence.

What really caught my ear towards the beginning of Scott's speech was when he said he needs to find out what students, alumni, and the community likes about UP athletics, but "maybe more importantly, what they don't like."

Thirteen years on the development side of Stanford's athletic department and his experience with the WCC has got to be a good starting point for the new UP AD. Welcome, Scott!

Good recap... Scott also mentioned 3 items of work to do:
-- Develop the men's basketball program.
-- Maintain national prominence in soccer
-- Become the best broad-based athletic department in the WCC and regionally.

Let's hope he succeeds... and soon!

Welcome aboard, Scott!

A replay of the press conference is available here: LINK

..................and his interview with John Canzano on Bald Face Truth is here:

http://www.kxl.com/05/08/12/The-New-Pilot-of-UP-Athletics/landing.html?blockID=605706&feedID=10528

New athletic director Scott Leykam says improving men's basketball is a priority.

“But the big piece is getting men’s basketball going and help Coach Reveno develop the program,” Leykam said.

Read it here in the Oregonian:
http://www.oregonlive.com/pilots/index.ssf/2012/05/portland_pilots_new_athletic_d.html

How do you long time Pilot fans feel about this new guy compared to Larry when he first started out?

RipCityPilot wrote:How do you long time Pilot fans feel about this new guy compared to Larry when he first started out?

For Scott there is none of Larry’s wow he’s from Notre Dame, there’s no wow he was an NFL lineman, and there’s no wow he’s a lawyer.

Instead I think we’ve got a guy who is driven and committed to the COLLEGE game and UP, and has the inside track on what college athletics in the WCC is all about – and he’ll be able to hit the ground running.

Not near as likely to seek the higher profile and move on in a few years to a huge salary, and won’t have a high school age son and wife in Ohio in five years.

He already knows how to raise money (for Stanford’s athletic department), and is committed to doing the same at UP.

He is focused on the men’s basketball team improving to become the focal point/earning point for the athletic department while keeping the soccer programs strong.

All in all, I believe it is a very good hire; not the gee-whiz and wow some might look for, but a real nuts and bolts guy who already knows the system and how to succeed.

And, being a St. Mary’s grad (’95) and knowing a little of his reputation in the Bay Area, I bet he could go one-on-one against most of us at the T-Room (but of course he won’t).

Oh, and I bet we'll continue to see the return of the pre-game pasta dinner.

It was a long time coming, but I feel that getting a WCC guy and a west coast native is a big plus for UP. I only wish he was starting today.
A great choice/

I agree with upsailor and DD... this is a good hire. Scott knows the school, has been working with the right entities, and is a proven fund raiser--exactly what we need right now.

IMO there is a notable shift to a "basketball first" mentality here, and I fully support it. Nothing against the soccer programs, but the U really must develop the MBX program if we are going to be able to have the funds to maintain facilities (i.e. Merlo Field) and compete in the other sports going forward.

Again, nothing against the soccer programs, but for a sustainable & successful athletic program in the current environemnt, with the Div. I "arms race" going on, we have to break the mindset and the connotation that UP is a "Women's Soccer school." We need to develop a notable basketball program, as that is where the resources will come from to support the entire Athletic Department (which will allow us to maintain the highly successful soccer & XC programs).

Larry came in with the big Notre Dame and NFL swagger with a handshake that made you feel like you were a 2 year old... He was bold, and a little brash. He inherited a mess and definitely left the athletics program in a better place than he left it with improved facilities, improved coaches (especially basketball), a nike contract/brand redesign (Whether you like it or not), but after all that positive movement I think he was always going to leave at some point. His personal aspirations (and dare I say ego) were never going to end with a multi decade AD career at the University of Portland, it just wasn't happening.

I think after the LW regime, perhaps a different style, one a little more in tuned with the WCC and fundraising landscape on the West Coast is a very good one. The program flat out needs to make more money if it is going to compete with Gonzaga or BYU to afford the new facilities like developing the riverfront. Basketball is the cash cow for a school such as ours, it only makes sense that the focus should be on developing that program in particular. To stay up with that it means maintaining the best facilities, giving the coaches strong recruiting budgets and paying to keep strong head coaches, as well as top level assistants. A man who knows how to make money is paramount for that role. The Stanford endowment sits at over $16 billion dollars and it raised $709 million in the last year, thanks in no small part to our new AD. I dont' expect THAT kind of revenue, but at the same time, someone with that kind of resume seems pretty ideal for our current needs.

I love soccer, the sport itself will always be my first love, but college soccer (Even with the quality the Bluff has seen) will always be a 2nd tier sport as far as finances go. Plus you have to consider that with the Timbers now in play, they are going to be competing for the soccer consumer dollars. (Side note: resisting urge to make a crack at the women's team being a higher quality than the Timbers... oops, tool late) It only makes sense that we will want to maintain our current niche, but prominence in the college athletics landscape lies in men's basketball.

In summation I really like the new hire, he isn't Larry Williams, nor should he be. Scott has an acumen for raising money as well as the west coast landscape, I look forward to seeing what he can bring to the University.

No argument there, DTR.

At least every night I watch the Pilot men or women I know they will play like being a footballer, especially at Portland, is a privilege and that they care as much as their supporters.

I like what I hear from the new guy too. We have the smallest athletic budget in the conference so raising money is of paramount importance. Being a West Coast and WCC guy he also seems to get what the conference is about.

I was watching some of the basketball highlights from this year and I realized that I really hope that Scott has good ideas for how to bring in Pilot fans for basketball. I really do not want a repeat of the BYU or Wazzu crowds next year.

Welcome aboard, officially, Scott! Today is the first day on the job. If you were Scott, what is your first project?

A big thanks to Karen Peters for 6 months of filling in as Interim AD.

PilotNut wrote:Welcome aboard, officially, Scott! Today is the first day on the job. If you were Scott, what is your first project?

Um, you mean besides finding a place to live, a school for my kids, and a high paying job for my wife? I would say the overall development of a very good sports "product" that can be sold to propective supporters.

DoubleDipper wrote:I would say the overall development of a very good sports "product" that can be sold to propective supporters.

Care to be any more specific in your prognostication?

Obviously the new River Campus baseball facility is high profile, so there will need to be specific fund raising there... also fundraising for the new Rec facility that will replace Etzel Field.

I would assume discussions with TV/media providers (Comcas Sportsnet, etc) will be active as well...

PilotNut wrote:Care to be any more specific in your prognostication?

Fund raising for the new River Campus baseball facility and the new Rec Facility will probably be focused on alumni, parents, friends, and corporate accounts.

But I believe the "product" that needs to be improved is the on-field/court/pitch teams that will draw fans and money IF they are "entertaining" to watch and competitive! "If we build it they will come" is more than just a phrase, it has been the start of something good at UP. We are well on our way to having some of the finer training facilities and equipment, and playing fields in the WCC, it is now imperative those upgrades continue so they will result in more elite athletes looking to UP as a place to study and play.

Being last in both men’s and women’s sports in the race for the 2011-12 West Coast Conference Commissioner's Cup, is NOT an effective way to raise money to support our student-athletes. We saw a very concerted effort this past year to increase membership in the Pilot Club, but without “new” folks showing up to hear the pitch and donate the funds, I doubt the effort was as effective as it may have been.

Build the facilities, effectively recruit, and start winning, and the student-athlete will come. Build the teams to a competitive and entertaining level, and the donors will come. At UP the biggest money draw will be from Men’s Basketball – that’s where the main upgrade has to happen. I think Scott Leykam already knows that and has apparently pledged his support to that end.

DoubleDipper wrote: Build the facilities, effectively recruit, and start winning, and the student-athlete will come. Build the teams to a competitive and entertaining level, and the donors will come. At UP the biggest money draw will be from Men’s Basketball – that’s where the main upgrade has to happen. I think Scott Leykam already knows that and has apparently pledged his support to that end.

I completely agree... but what does the AD do to make that happen? It's a rhetorical question... but my gut tells me that this AD will be able to get into the heads of our fellow Alums, and those who are not currently Pilot fans, but "should" be (and hopefully soon will be). I think targeted marketing will improve, and I hope that leads to a much more broad-based support network for UP Athletics.